


Paralogue 0.3 - Afraid of the Dark

by Sylvas



Series: Cinders of the Emblem [3]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Age Difference, F/M, Leo Is Not Underage but i don't really wanna surprise people, better safe than sorry!, most original title award 2k18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 13:44:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15196028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylvas/pseuds/Sylvas
Summary: Some people do stupid things because they don't know better. Sometimes they do it because they've been manipulated, or feel like they don't have any choice.Leo's about to do something that he knows is stupid. He's not quite sure why. Maybe it's just to prove that he can.





	Paralogue 0.3 - Afraid of the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Leo is 18. Cecilia is 26. Everybody's adults. 
> 
> I just figure I'd rather be safe with my tagging and warnings than sorry!

_March 26_

 

The Askrian castle had an enormous library. Sharena and Alfonse had both given testament to its size, but it wasn't until Leo had actually spoken with one of the royal cutators that he could truly appreciate just how large it was. Krakenburg's library had been gigantic, too, but nowhere near _this_ big. It only had one world's worth of knowledge to hoard, after all. In Zenith... such limitations did not exist. 

Whether at peace or war, it was Leo's duty as a prince to maintain his studies. He was Nohr's premier tactician and dark mage, since Iago's demise and good riddance. But it was important to keep a proper balance. During the war in Valla, it was tough to find materials enough to actually keep studying; they were pushing deep into enemy territory as fast as they could, so bringing along whatever projects Leo had been working on was not exactly practical - thankfully the insurrection had not lasted long enough to put any of them in danger. 

Here... no such limitation existed. He would find enough research material to occupy him for what felt like many lifetimes over. It was even kind of daunting to consider just how much he would likely never read. Where best to begin? What could he learn here that would be forever lost if he didn't read it before returning home? But whenever tackling a daunting project, the starting place was always the same; you must choose somewhere, and allow your approach to adapt as you learn more. At the same time, of course, Leo couldn't just vanish into the library and drown in new knowledge; aside from how obviously neglectful of his obligations that would be, well... 

Dark magic was a very dangerous thing to simply... disappear into.

Either way, he had been too busy to take up a new project just yet, and he doubted that he would be getting many breaks like this one. Kiran had called him into their strategy meeting the morning prior to show their plan and ask for feedback; seeing as the summoner was aware that Leo was also a premier tactician, he supposed this was a display of goodwill and inclusiveness more than anything, and he ought to appreciate it - but ultimately it fell a little flat. 

The more interesting development from that meeting, however, was that Kiran had decided not to employ any cavalry during the final stages of their fight to free the World of Blazing. The war was being fought on two fronts - one in the Nabata desert, and one in a mountainous region called Bern. Kiran had shown Leo the approach plan to the royal castle where Emblian forces had holed up; it was clear that cavalry would not have the room to manuever along the narrow path, and given the enemy's predisposition towards flying defenders, Kiran's only choice was to employ either fliers of her own - or an armored phalanx defending archers and mages that would crawl its way up the slope, fighting a battle of attrition on their own terms. Kiran had chosen the latter, and Leo found that decision agreeable. Either way it meant Leo had some time to himself, particularly with Corrin, Takumi and Sakura chosen as part of the siege team. 

So, he made his way to the library once again, calmly ascending its many staircases and basking in the dusty silence. It felt almost as though the air itself were laden with ancient knowledge, waiting to be uncovered and turned into power or glory. The library was an architectural marvel in itself; whoever had designed the place understood just how much information would need to be held here, and had a clear fascination for it as well. On the southern end of the library, bookcases eight stories tall towered a seating area at the lowest level, and along the western and eastern walls were walkways with only waist-high shelves so as not to place too much weight on the upper floors. The western wall opened up into another wing of the castle, and the east wall was dominated by multiple great stained glass windows that filled the room with stuttered, graying light, reflecting off of particles high overhead no matter where in the library you were. 

The north end of the room, however, was a labyrinthine structure of staircases, railings, balconies, concealed sitting areas, and... of course... innumerable cryptically labeled bookshelves. If you approached the southern end, you could see the rest of the library in its silvered glory, but turn around and you'd be overwhelmed by a maze of books that was only dimly illuminated by occasional candles mounted on pillars. It felt so very homely to Leo. He supposed, being a dark mage, that ought to be natural. 

Tucked away in the northeastern corner was a spiral staircase that led up and out of the library proper entirely - and into a relatively private study. For a moment, Leo's eyes were entirely on the bookshelves lining the rounded back walls, and then they turned to the beautiful view from the windows on either side. So it took him a little while to realize that he was not alone in the room. When he focused on the sitting table in the room's center, there was a woman with long green hair already sitting there, staring at him with eyes shocked wide. She was certainly much older than him - older than Xander, probably, though he wasn't sure quite by how much. 

She didn't speak. "I'm sorry to disturb you," Leo offered courteously, raising his eyebrows. "Shall I come back another time?" 

"No," the woman muttered - she shut her book very suddenly and set it down on the table as if it had offended her, rising and striding towards the door without meeting Leo's gaze. "Sorry to startle you," she mumbled on her way past. Leo watched after her once she had rounded the stairs downward and out of sight, listening to her hurried footsteps clattering against the stone until he couldn't hear them anymore. 

Aside from that oddity, though, his first evening there was rather uneventful, and he made a lot of progress on his research, or... rather specifically, on deciding what his research would be. It seemed Askr had hoarded a great deal of knowledge about dark magic from other realms; the only widely practiced dark magic in Nohr was Nosferatu, but there were many mentions to other spells he'd heard mention of but never actually seen. 

By midday the next day, he had put together a text in parchment that could recreate a feeble variant of the spell 'Flux' - which in other regions was considered the quintessential "beginner's dark magic". It had been a long time since he had dove into the dark arts in such a raw, experimental way before - in fact, to memory, not since he had first learned to use Brynhildr. 

The woman from the day before came into the tower as he was toying with the flow of shadow that his text was able to conjure; he delicately released the spell and set the page down, nodding to her in greeting, and she bowed back in kind, far more composed than the night before. Leo was allowed to take her in more fully this time; she wore military dress for a country he didn't recognize, but clearly indicated a very high station. She had warm, kind eyes unbefitting a high-ranking soldier, but the slow elegance of her movements suggested a confidence that Leo found more believable. In fact -- she looked rather familiar, in a strange way... she looked not unlike Corrin, on the rare occasions after the war's end when the dragon princess had looked well. 

"I apologize for intruding," she offered kindly. "I can return another time if you wish." 

"Let me guess," Leo countered. "You're here because you are most comfortable and proficient in combat on horseback, and since our tactician has chosen not to employ cavalry in the final siege she has given you a chance to rest, so you're taking the opportunity to brush up on dark magic while you have the free time. Yes?"

The woman laughed softly. "I suppose that's a reasonable deduction," she cooed. "But it doesn't answer my question, does it?"

"I see no reason not to share." Leo gestured to the seat across the table from him. "In fact, I might like to collaborate with you. Are you very familiar with dark magic already?" 

"In an academic sense, yes," she replied. Leo noted that she didn't move from the entryway - did she not feel comfortable? "But I'd be happy to help where I can." 

"Please excuse my rudeness," Leo added hastily, pushing himself up - he had of course forgotten to introduce himself. Where were his manners!? He sighed, straightening up, then bowing. "I am Leo, second prince of Nohr."

"I am Cecilia," the woman replied calmly, bowing as well. "Mage General of Etruria. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, prince Leo." 

"Mage General, is it?" Leo smiled crookedly once their eyes had met again; in small, unhurried steps Cecilia entered the room and approached the table at last. "That's certainly an evocative title."

"I suppose so," Cecilia agreed, though a shadow crossed her face as she spoke. "I admit I am not wholly pleased with my tenure, but there is still much history to be written for Etruria." 

"That's a good way to think of it." Leo remembered telling Corrin the same thing about Nohr. The memory brought a bitter smile to his face, for just a moment. "Do you mind if I ask why you were in such a hurry to leave yesterday?"

Cecilia's smile faded. "I do mind, actually," she said softly. "Suffice to say it was something personal, and not related to you."

"Very well." Secrets kept were annoyingly enticing, but Leo allowed this one to go nonetheless. "In that case, may I instead ask what it was you were studying?"

 

Cecilia sighed, glancing aside and picking out a book from the shelf almost without looking as if she had placed it there. "It's a bit embarrssing to admit," she said, "but I'm not very familiar with the casting of dark magic." She sat down across from him, setting the book down before her and clasping her hands over its cover. "I received a great deal of instruction on all types of magic," she explained, "but as a mage myself I have focused on anima. I like to try to broaden my horizons once in a while."

"That seems wise," Leo agreed. "I think it's often underappreciated how 'casting' and 'understanding' magic are completely different skills." Cecilia seemed pleasantly taken aback. "To be honest," he continued, "I was taught only to cast -- but I've never been interested in application without theory. If I don't understand why what I'm doing is the right thing to do, have I really learned anything?" 

"Ah!" Cecilia smiled, her eyes shining. "If only most students were so drawn to knowledge at that age! Your instructors must have adored you."

"Well, I think not, to be honest," Leo murmured, shrugging and looking away. "They seemed to think that my constant questions were more of a bother than anything else. So I wound up having to study most of the theory by myself."

"I should think that was very educational in itself." 

"It was, yes." Leo turned back to her, puffing up a bit. "Self-study separates a mage from a mere adept, in my experience."

"Aptly put," Cecilia agreed, smiling more still. "Well, then - I suppose we may be able to fill in gaps in the other's knowledge. How fortuitous."

She spoke as though she intended to turn their attention to study - and Leo intended to follow her - but within a few moments, Leo was providing some anecdote from his own time learning to cast, and Cecilia had asked him about some detail, and now they were off on another tangent. Their conversation stayed roughly centered around magic, but Leo found himself explaining some of the political nuance to his position as prince and royal tactician, and Cecilia explained some of her own background as a general, tactician, and mentor to students of war and magic. "I suppose you will be surprised to learn that I have some skill with a blade," she added coyly. 

"I wonder if you would be more surprised to learn that we have that in common," Leo chuckled. 

"It seems like a suitably princely thing to learn," Cecilia countered thoughtfully. "But you said your brother was ever the better swordsman. Did you test that theory?"

"Well - no." Leo turned red. "Not in a long time, anyway. He is a bit... ruthless... even in practice matches. I'd rather not endure it just to be told something I already know." And Cecilia laughed. And... they made another attempt, perhaps the sixth now, to go back to the original subject, only to derail each other again. 

Not that Leo was particularly sorry about it. She was such a deeply pleasant conversant - even in just the way she spoke of it, she displayed a much greater aptitude for magic than even Odin, without Odin's more... quirky... personality traits that made extended conversation difficult, but also with a gentle humility that differentiated her from other dark mages Leo had learned from as a youth. But aside from that, she was friendly, curious, playful, and serene, all together. She was all of the best hidden qualities in his sisters and, at times, even in Xander - but without the bloody, ashen veil that protected them from the rest of the world. It was... endearing. 

Eventually, though, they did finally meander back into a theoretical conversation about dark magic itself, and Leo found both that conversation and the woman sitting across from him only more enthralling by the moment, as she explained things that Leo had long suspected but never been able to confirm, while simultaneously reacting with surprise and delight as Leo was able to surprise her with some insights of his own. This was something Leo had never really had before - a true sense of collaboration with another mage, a passionate discourse where neither held some clear understanding or superiority over the other. They were not teaching each other. They were discovering, together, plumbing the depths of their own fascination. 

And though perhaps it was not wise, Leo could not help but want to ask her about Brynhildr. Before long the subject came up organically, and with a sort of guilty delight, he presented the tome. Dark magic, as Leo had understood it, was an expression of the unknown - a weaponized force of mystery, often themed around something humans fear. So he described Brynhildr's domain - earth, gravity, and life - and presented his reasoning that Byrnhildr, in that theme, centered around the fear of the divine. But Cecilia had a different interpretation that surprised him. 

"The earth, gravity, and life itself," she was repeating, eyes wide in awe. "Fear of the divine, you say? I wonder about that. I wonder if it's instead a misunderstanding of the divine, or... that which even surpasses the divine." 

"Surpasses the divine," Leo said incredulously. "What makes you say that? If I didn't know better, I might think you were trying to impress me."

"I might be," she chuckled. "Well... in classic tales of divinity, divine power is credited for all aspects of the world, but I've been reading about accounts from other worlds and their encounters with figures of actual divinity. I believe I've even read a little about Nohr and Hoshido - and specifically the legend of the First Dragons." 

"No legend, I assure you," Leo cut in. 

"I believe it," Cecilia replied easily. "But those things too obeyed the laws of the earth, of gravity, and the cycle of life. Brynhildr seems less an expression of divine power itself, but rather those things that predate even what we consider 'divine'. A tome of the natural world."

"I suppose you're right," Leo murmured, looking down at the tome as it lay, closed, on the table in front of him. His fingers drummed thoughtfully along its ornate cover. He had studied this tome for most of his life, now, but felt scarcely any closer to understanding its depths than when he'd started. But framed around Cecilia's words... some of those mysteries that lay within began to make a bit more sense. "I'll have to remember that next time I am studying Brynhildr specifically," he offered, returning his eyes to his partner. "Thank you for your insight."

"It is gladly given," Cecilia said cheerfully, smiling brightly for him again. "I thought I had a fairly complete understanding of dark magic, but you've shown me that even in theory there's much still I do not know."

"If you continue to study the dark," Leo chuckled, "then expect that to become a common occurrence. My instructors claim I've long since surpassed them, but I feel I am still only touching the surface. To be honest, I feel I've learned more today speaking with a peer than I have in the last several years combined."

"A peer?" Cecilia chuckled. "Flatterer. I should think it a cruel joke for someone as talented as you to consider me, who can barely cast the simplest dark magic, a 'peer'."

"On the contrary," Leo countered with a smirk, "I see no reason for us to see it any other way. Are we not of a similar station, you and I? Tacticians and military leaders within our home countries? To see one another as peers on the subject of magic seems only natural."

"Well, I remain flattered, nonetheless." Cecilia's smile took on a sort of... ethereal quality, her eyes slipping closed for a moment, and then only opening partway. She leaned in and angled her head to the side, her cheek up on her left hand. "I'm terribly impressed by your knowledge and your understanding, prince Leo. I've taught many mages in my life already, but very few even approach your talent." 

"I've worked to accomplish what I have," Leo said calmly, though in truth he couldn't help but preen a little, his heart skipping, exalted. "But I'm sure the same can be said of you." 

"Me," Cecilia sighed, "I'm so very ordinary by comparison. A teacher and a healer, only now branching out from the magic she knows for the first time. But you... a prince of a dark nation, devoting yourself to the study of the dark arts that you might distinguish yourself in power..." She shook her head slowly. "You're truly a fascinating, beautiful person, your highness."

"T-That isn't necessary," Leo stammered; a thrill rode his spine, and he had to gulp it back down to retain composure. "The title, I mean." 

"It suits you," Cecilia cooed, her hand stretching out idly, tracing the upper edge of Brynhildr's front cover. "Dark Prince Leo." 

Leo's next breath came in a hiss, his eyes closing briefly as he steadied himself. Why - did that have such an effect on him? Ah, but the image of it... Dark Prince Leo. It was so... it stood alone so well. Leo had never aspired to be king, but hearing this title for him... He heard Xander's voice as he looked up from a war table with that soft, proud smile of his, whispering, "I would expect no less from the Dark Prince of Nohr..." 

"Tell me," Leo murmured, as he opened his eyes again. "Are you formally trained in flattery as well?"

Cecilia laughed gently. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," she confessed. "It's just... you are a very unique person. Someone I consider myself very fortunate to meet." 

Now Leo had received no small amount of training in the etiquette of court as well - anyone raised as a prince must, of course - and one of the things about that training that had baffled him most was courtship itself. It had been made to sound like such a pointlessly obtuse affair, suggesting that innocuous compliments should be treated as rather dire proposals, absent of any other indicator; Leo had simply assumed that the advice was far out of date. But hearing and watching Cecilia now he was conflicted. Her finger traced idle patterns on Brynhildr's cover now, drawing unnervingly close to his hand, and between her expression and the soft, breathy tone of her voice... This was very different. A more oblivious person might have continued to be flattered. 

But Leo was not oblivious. And hearing this, seeing this, realizing this, he grew daring. He wondered if he ought to ask her - _Aren't you being a bit coquettish with me?_ \- but... well, what would that accomplish, aside from possibly making him look like a fool? The more he thought about it, the more obvious it felt to him. He should instead think about how he would want to respond to such a proposal, but there was hardly any thinking to be done on it. He drew up his courage, swallowed a knot, and leaned forward into a smile of his own. 

"I would say I was very fortunate to meet you, as well," he said coolly. He needed to pick his compliments carefully here; something subtle, something targeted, something that would feel personal rather than generic. "You're charming and humble, and yet possess the wisdom to shake my understanding of my life's study, and still have the levity to make the both of us laugh. Truly an enviable set of qualities."

"O-Oh... goodness." Cecilia laughed, blushing. "That's..." 

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," Leo added kindly, watching her with a coy smile. She laughed again, covering her mouth - the hand on Brynhildr's cover withdrew. 

"Oh, what have I done," she sighed, closing her eyes. "Your highness... I'm so sorry, I think I've..." Leo's smile faded rapidly. 

"Did I misjudge our conversation?" Leo gasped, withdrawing immediately as well. "If I've misunderstood your intent --"

"No, no, that's not it," she muttered, pushing herself up and beginning to gather her things. Startled and distraught, Leo stood as well. "Prince Leo," she sighed, pausing to look up at him. "Please accept my apologies, but I - I got carried away. I think it's best if I excuse myself now." 

"I don't understand," Leo protested. "Were you just... playing, or...?" 

"I got carried away," she repeated cryptically, clutching her book tight to her chest and stepping back from the table. "What I did was inappropriate," she continued, "and I'm sorry that it took me until now to come to my senses." 

"To your...?" Leo squinted. "What are you saying? Where did I go wrong?" 

"It's not you," Cecilia said adamantly. "It's just that I - I shouldn't have provoked someone at your age. The blame lies entirely with me."

"I'm not a child," Leo interrupted coldly, folding his arms. "Is that what you take me for?" 

"I'm sorry, Leo," she repeated. "Please forget any of this happened." She bowed stiffly; Leo began to speak, but she turned on her heel and left the tower, leaving him standing and glaring, an emptiness growing in his chest as he listened to her fading footsteps echo up the stairs.

 

Each of Corrin's siblings tried to keep in contact with her, in their own ways... but few as successfully as Leo. He felt rather guilty about it, because he knew his sister was suffering, but her condition had made her somewhat of a loner, and that ironically made it easier for him to converse with her than before. 

Corrin had been relieved of duty from the siege team again, now that the Askrian forces had completed their approach to the castle and were preparing to storm inside. Leo thought perhaps it was naive of Kiran to feel that Corrin could not fight indoors... perhaps he ought to bring that up... but for today, at least, it proved convenient. It gave him a chance to approach her and ask for advice. Corrin asked him to meet her in a particular lounge, near her quarters, at midnight. It rather surprised him that she had taken to secret meetings under cover of darkness, but honestly it made him proud of her, too. 

That night, he found her sitting on a bench beside one of the great windows, leaning sideways against it and staring out. As he approached, though, she turned to face him, smiling that grimly exhausted smile that Leo had come to know very well. "Good evening, brother," she said quietly. Leo offered her a faint bow, smiling. 

"It's good to see you," he replied. "How is your health?" 

Corrin's smile faded a little, and she closed her eyes. "About the same as usual." 

"This isn't an urgent conversation, if you'd rather it wait." But Corrin shook her head. 

"I'd rather be awake talking to you than alone," Corrin said firmly, opening her eyes again. She turned her body and straightened herself out, sitting straight-legged and facing him; he leaned slightly against the wall opposite her. "So," she began. "What sort of big sisterly advice are you hoping for?" 

Damn it, Corrin. Leo felt himself flushing as the entirety of this absurd situation flashed through his mind again. He resisted an impulse to rub the back of his neck. "This needs to remain strictly confidential," he said sternly instead. Corrin nodded eagerly. "I mean it," he added. "This isn't the sort of giggling idle gossip that you and Camilla share all the time about things I tell you are secrets." 

"I would never!" Corrin gasped. "But - well - Camilla would. I guess it's a founded fear." 

Leo ignored her. "I met another mage during my leave," he continued, "who helped me some with my research. We spoke at length, and after some time she began acting very familiar with me."

"Familiar - ?" Corrin's eyebrows rose. "She was flirting with you?" Leo nodded curtly, bracing himself. "Leo - that's - well, I can't say I'm surprised, I guess - but - "

"Wait," Leo gasped, "you aren't?" 

"Well, no," Corrin laughed awkwardly. "You're a pretty handsome and suave young man, when you want to be. I don't think it's strange that you'd have girls interested in you. It's just I didn't think you'd take an interest in that sort of thing, but that's not really my business. So - what is it I can help you with?" 

"Well..." Leo pinched the bridge of his nose, having to re-center himself in the conversation. The problem here was very specific, and explaining it without giving too much away was proving a challenge. "She... I don't think she was taking me seriously. When I reciprocated with her, she backed off and claimed that it would be inappropriate for us to... I guess..."

"Inappropriate," Corrin repeated, sharp and incredulous. "Leo, how old was this mage, exactly?"

Well, so much for that. Leo flushed and looked away. "Older than Xander, I suspect," he mumbled. 

" _Older_ than Xander?!" Corrin hissed, leaning forward. "You were flirting with - ?!" 

"Corrin," Leo sighed. "I - "

"No - " Corrin cut them both off. "No, it's not my place to judge, Leo. Just..." She took a deep breath, and briskly sighed it back out, shaking her head. "I'll just say that that's important to know. So, you have someone much older than you that seemed interested in you, and... you... want to pursue that relationship?" 

"W-Well... yes," he murmured, "but only to a degree that she's comfortable with. It's more that I don't want her treating me like a child." 

"Because you aren't one," Corrin said lowly. Leo nodded. "But, Leo - you have to understand that what you're doing is..."

"The way I think of it, having an unusual relationship would just give me more in common with my family, wouldn't it?" 

"You don't have to rub it in," Corrin said bitterly, looking away briefly. Leo smirked at her. "But I guess you're right, in the end." 

"You know we don't judge you, either," Leo added softly. Corrin closed her eyes. It was dangerous to jump to this tangent without Corrin's permission - which she pretty much never gave - but Leo felt it was important. Everyone did. Corrin couldn't isolate herself and let herself feel alone. They had to make sure she knew that they still loved her, whatever her needs or habits were.

"I do know that," Corrin whispered. "But I judge myself." She opened her eyes again, folding her arms. "We're talking about you," she added sternly. "So. You want her to take you seriously as a potential partner, not to turn you away just because she thinks you're too young. Right?" 

"Yes, that." Leo nodded gratefully. He noted that he was shivering. "I don't know where it will go, and I don't have any expectations. I just don't want that to be the reason." 

Corrin chewed her lip for a moment. "I'm not great with social subtleties or anything like that," she said warningly. Leo nodded his understanding. "All I've really got is a draconic approach."

Leo sighed, steeling himself. "Let's hear it." 

"I think you just march up to her and tell her you're interested in her." 

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Dragons are very forward, then." 

"I think of it like this," Corrin continued, palms upward. "She starts flirting, you turn it around on her, and she realizes what she's doing and backs off before either of you get in trouble. If you walk up to her and start flirting again, that's just going to scare her more, right? She doesn't think you know what you're doing. So you cut out the middleman and just get to the point. I don't know what you want to tell her exactly, but you can't beat around the bush or else you're going to look childish."

Leo nodded slowly, his other brow rising to match the first. "That's... actually... very insightful of you, Corrin. That makes a lot of sense." 

"If you're not willing to commit to a relationship outright," Corrin added warningly, "then maybe - don't take this the wrong way, but - maybe she's right, and it's best not chasing this. You know? She's worried that's what it's going to lead to, so... you go up to her and show her you _know_ that and you're not afraid... I dunno. That's where I'm at." 

"No, I agree. I think that's very wise." He sighed, brushing back his hair a bit. "Thank you, Corrin. I think I can figure out the rest." 

"You keep me up to date on how it goes, okay?" Corrin added warningly. Leo chuckled. Once a protective older sister, always a protective older sister. "I'm serious," she added, heat in her voice rising. "You've let me in on this secret, so we're in it together now, got it?" 

"You can be my confidant, yes," Leo agreed, smiling at her. She sighed with relief, and smiled back. "Shall we talk about something else, then? If you're looking to while the night away, I'd be happy to help."

"Oh, shouldn't you get some sleep?" Corrin gasped. 

"As a dark mage, I'm no stranger to long, sleepness nights myself." Leo inclined his head. "No need to spend them all alone." 

...Was Corrin... blushing? "For tonight, at least," she murmured, "I'd really like your company. Oh - though that reminds me - " She straightened up again. "I met someone on the siege team... before we were summoned in for the fight, she was asking about meeting a powerful dark mage, and I don't know any more powerful than you." 

"Well now." Leo's eyebrows rose. "How old was she?" 

Corrin scoffed. "My age," she snorted. "Maybe younger, even. But - she said she wanted help learning to cast dark magic, and... well, I didn't give you away yet, but I wondered if you'd be interested?" 

Leo pursed his lips. He didn't fancy himself a teacher. But... well... maybe...? 

"Yes, I'd be willing to give it a try," he decided. 

"I'll let her know then," Corrin said, almost cheerfully. "Thanks, Leo." 

 

Leo did manage to get a bit of sleep the next morning, though the sun had already risen; poor Corrin, he feared, had not slept at all. But there wasn't much he could do for her, as things were. This is just what war did to her. Until she decided she could stop fighting without hurting her conscience, or somehow found some cure for whatever was withering her on the inside... 

When he did wake up, he went to check on the battle front; Corrin and Elise were there, the former slumped against a back wall with a sleep-deprived rage oozing from her aura, and the latter pacing around the corridor indecisively with her arms tightly folded. Elise managed to brighten up a little when Leo entered, but... only a little.

"How's it going?" Leo asked. No more context needed than that. 

"They've breached the outer gate," Corrin mumbled, pushing herself more upright with a sigh. "The enemy commander has taken to the air... it's only a matter of time until Embla is forced to evacuate."

"But the enemy leader," Leo continued lowly. "Michalis. If he remains then the Emblian resistance is only weakened - not removed." Corrin nodded slowly. 

"Takumi and Sakura are gonna get him," Elise said fervently. "I know they are." 

Leo smirked. Easy as it was to be skeptical of this whole 'joined family' deal... one couldn't help but find Elise's protectiveness of and faith in her new siblings rather endearing. War was far from enough to shake Elise's foundations. "I'm sure they will," he agreed. He turned to Corrin and drew himself up, his smile fading. "Corrin, you need to sleep." 

"Can't," Corrin said curtly. 

"You look like you're about to collapse," Elise protested. "I told you, you need to go to bed!" Corrin looked away, grumbling indistinctly. 

"Come on," Leo pressed, gently resting a hand on her shoulder. "If Camilla's not here, then it falls on the next eldest sibling to take care of you in her place, and I won't let it be said that I slack on the job." 

Corrin sighed some wordless affirmative, and allowed Leo to lead her back to her section of the castle. Silently, at first. 

"Do you ever have nightmares?" Corrin asked quietly, as they were drawing near.

"I do," Leo sighed. "All the time, really. When I was younger... they were pretty typical. All about failing to live up to Xander. But I'm not even sure what they're about anymore." Just another one of those fun, quirky hidden consequences of studying dark magic. When you immerse yourself in the unknown... the unknown tends to immerse itself in you. 

"They don't seem to bother you very much," Corrin murmured. 

"I've gotten good at falling back asleep," Leo agreed wearily. "But it's not the same as what you're asking about, is it?" 

Corrin was quiet.

"If you don't mind me asking... what is it, exactly, you dream about?" 

"Slaughtering people," Corrin whispered.

Leo didn't know what to say to that. He heard Corrin's breath shaking.

"You and Camilla and Elise," she breathed, "all still treat me like your sister. You all just try to pretend that everything is fine and I'm the same girl I used to be. But I'm not. I'm a monster now, Leo." 

"You aren't a monster," Leo said firmly. Corrin sighed, but it came out more like an exasperated snarl. "Corrin - being skilled at war, having great power, those things don't make you a monster. At times we were glad you were locked away so that you couldn't be tainted by Nohr and turned into the monster it wanted you to be - and when you did finally break out... I know Camilla and Xander were both so proud of you."

"Proud," Corrin scoffed, and she laughed. "I held myself together, sure. You guys did all of the leading. I just... I found the problem and tried my damnedest to drag everyone over to it."

"And you did that brilliantly," Leo insisted. "Don't understate how difficult that was to do. Without you, we couldn't have reclaimed Valla and stopped the war." 

They arrived at Corrin's chambers; Corrin paused, leaning heavily against the door now, breathing slow. "I just want things to go back to the way they were," she whispered, at length. "I just want to be Corrin again." 

Leo pressed his lips together. "That might be nice," he agreed quietly. "But..." He sighed, glancing away briefly, folding his arms. He was blushing. This was stupid, but he just couldn't figure out a better way to say it, that didn't sound so... sappy. "But you're Corrin now," he sighed. "And I know we're all determined to love you as our sister just the same as before, whatever it is you've become." 

Corrin made a strange sound. It might have been laughing, but it was very quiet. It might have been... sniffling, too. "I can't believe you just said that," she whispered, and a watery little laugh escaped from her - allowing Leo to correctly place her sounds as... sobs. He turned back to her in a fright, and she had turned back to him too, smiling weakly, her eyes lined with tears. "Leo," she breathed, "that was so sweet of you." 

"I'm just telling you the truth," Leo said dismissively, his face glowing brighter. "We're all going to be here for you, whatever happens. Monster or no." 

"Y... Yeah." She sniffled loudly, turning more fully towards him - all at once her arms clamped tightly around his shoulders; he yelped, unsteady, but managed to hesitantly hug her back. Gods, Corrin gave the biggest hugs! Bigger and tighter even than Camilla's, at times... 

 

She couldn't compose herself enough for words after that, so Leo gently led her back inside and laid her on her bed, and she curled around her blankets and waved Leo good-bye, and Leo left her to work out her emotions. Hopefully, even if she couldn't sleep, that by itself would help her feel less fatigued. 

That done, he returned to his own chambers nearby and tried to advance his studies a bit - no longer concerned with 'pedestrian' dark magic, for the time being at least, but rather trying to reframe his understanding of Brynhildr around what Cecilia had suggested a couple nights before. It would be a long process - he wasn't about to make some grand discovery out of the blue in a single night's reading. 

Especially not if he couldn't actually focus on it. He had something of his own to take care of that night, and he couldn't stop thinking about it. What exactly would he say? How would he know? What would happen if he was wrong? What would happen if... he was right? 

Around sundown, his impatience peaked. He set out from his room and made way to the library's upper floors, still replaying possible options in his mind, over and over. It was just hard to guess what he might find, if Cecilia was even here. But at least he'd decided on a basic plan: if she was here, then he'd talk to her, and if she wasn't, he would wait. 

The seventh floor of the library marked the beginning of the many sections on magical theory. The northeastern corner concealed a staircase that led to a tower, and in that tower was all of their theory on dark magic. If Cecilia had chosen to study something else, she wouldn't be here. 

But she was here. 

She looked up sharply as he entered. Leo bowed, remembering how she had reacted the first time they had met. "Good evening, General," he said courteously. "I'm sorry to intrude, I just have a couple of things I need to retrieve."

"Right," Cecilia replied shortly. She had been standing beside one of the shelves, a freshly retrieved book cradled in her hands; there were several books open on the desk as well. But Leo noticed that she did not return to them as he searched. Her eyes stayed on him the entire time. 

"It's a bit strange of you to stare," he said conversationally. "Do you want me gone that badly? Is my presence so repulsive?"

"I feel it would be best if we kept our distance," she responded evenly. 

"I suppose you've said as much before," Leo mused. "But I asked you why, and you didn't answer me."

"I accepted fault," Cecilia sighed, "and I apologized. I conducted myself inappropriately, and in the process disrespected you. There isn't anything more to it than that. You must forget our conversation that night for both our sakes." 

Leo's eyes narrowed. "Both of our sakes, hmm?" He shifted to a different shelf, still within Cecilia's sight line - but not looking at her. "And what makes you think you have a right to tell me what I should do?" 

He could practically see Cecilia stiffening. "Nothing, your highness," she responded curtly. "I apologize, again. I meant to say - " 

"You _meant_ to give me instruction," Leo interrupted coolly - turning around at last to face her, clasping his hands behind his back as he approached her, eyes focused directly on hers. Now that he looked at her, he saw a very familiar fear in her eyes. It was a bit thrilling, but he had to remember that he was here to address and soothe that fear. "Why would you instruct me?" he continued softly. "Unless you think I am a child that needs your direction to survive in the world." 

"I am a teacher at heart," Cecilia mumbled. "Please forgive me, your highness. It's just the way that I speak." Her tone, her expression, conveyed a deeper apology than even her repeated insistences could. The stinging guilt remained. But... the thrill of control was also rising. He was growing very confident that he had been correct about her all along.

"Why don't you tell me what you feel, instead of what I should do?" He continued his approach, step after step - leading slightly to Cecilia's left side, encouraging her to turn left to follow him with her gaze. 

Cecilia drew herself up, closing her eyes. "What I feel is dangerous," she said sternly, as she refocused her gaze on him.

"I am not afraid of danger," Leo replied, inclining his head. "I cannot take responsibility for your feelings if I do not know what they are." 

"B-But... you're..." For a moment, she stared at him in despair, but recognizing her defeat she shuffled away again. "I acted on impulsive feelings and put you in harm's way," she said, her voice curt now. 

"In harm's way?" Leo raised his eyebrows. "Are you afraid you'll get in trouble?" 

"I'm afraid that you will be hurt," Cecilia snapped. 

"I don't get the sense that you mean me harm."

"I - I don't, your highness, but - "

"Please call me Leo." It was hard, but he was restraining his smile as best he could. Cecilia's words and voice were feeble, but with every step closer Leo took Cecilia's eyes grew wider, more adamantly locked on his own. He could see her blushing, her knuckles white around her book, her free hand clutching the robe at her side. It was so empowering to watch her fretting, to watch as she realized he was not going to let this go idly and the effect that realization had on her. Like he was drawing her feelings out of her and into the open, the same way one would draw life from the earth by Brynhildr's magic.

But his control was not yet absolute. He still had uncertainties to remove. It was easy for him to see Cecilia as fawning, but he needed to know for sure. If he had misinterpreted all of this...

"I won't call you that," Cecilia said firmly. She shifted back another step... but that put her back to the bookshelf, exactly where Leo wanted it. He continued to advance. "Stay away from me," she added warningly, a desperate edge creeping into her voice. 

"I'm not afraid of you," Leo replied, but he paused. "If you truly don't want my approach, then that's one thing. But that's not what I'm hearing you say." 

"Your highness, please," Cecilia whimpered, clutching her book in both hands now. "Please take this seriously."

"I'm taking this very seriously," Leo assured her. "I didn't come up here to taunt you, or to blackmail you. I came here to understand your feelings, and I think I do understand them." 

"But you don't understand the threat that they pose to you," Cecilia interrupted, her voice weak now. "Please, your highness, I don't want you to get hurt over this. I'm not special. I'm not what you should be looking for." 

"The greatest discoveries in life come to those who aren't looking for them at all," Leo replied coyly, allowing just the faintest smirk to touch his lips for a moment. "Cecilia, I ask that you take _this_ seriously, and I ask that you allow me to make my _own_ feelings clear."

He hastened his step - closing the gap to her in two long strides; he raised one hand and pressed it against the bookshelf beside Cecilia, cupping her face with the other. Just as he'd hoped, she jumped, clearly startled - but didn't shy away. Not immediately, and... to his surprise... not after, either. 

"What are you doing?" she whispered, instead. He could feel her shaking. 

"I'm making myself clear," he repeated softly. 

"We can't do this." She gulped. Her eyes were fixed on his. Wide, round... deep, a luxurious darkness lurking within them, alluring and beckoning. "Your highness, I - I don't know how better to say..." 

"I want to ask you something very simple," Leo said, gently stroking under her cheek; her eyelids fluttered, her breath becoming uncertain. "I want you to forget about what is proper, what is the right thing to do, and tell me - if those things were not an obstacle... would you want this?" 

Cecilia pressed her lips together, taking deep, sharp breaths through her nose. Trying to steady herself. Leo waited for her. He would accomplish nothing by forcing this. 

"But those things are obstacles," she protested.

"Is that a yes, Cecilia?" 

"Please, your highness, you can't... you can't do this..." Her lips quivered; Leo shifted closer, and she shrunk from him, biting her lower lip. "W-Why?" she gasped. "Why - why are you so persistent with this? Why me?"

"Why not you?" Leo leaned forward slightly, pressing their foreheads together. "You haven't answered my question yet, Cecilia, but I'll answer yours first anyway. I'm persistent because it felt wrong to leave things as they were. For us to make a connection, as colleagues, as friends, perhaps something more than either - and then for that to be severed over fear." He reached up, grazing fingers on her cheek, gently guiding a lock of her hair forward and feeling it in his hand. "I will accept incompatibility," he continued. "I accept trying and learning from mistakes. But in this case... I don't want you to be afraid of me."

His eyes turned back to hers. She gulped again. 

"I can't believe this is happening," she whispered, and she laughed hoarsely. "You're... really serious about this, aren't you?"

"I'm serious about everything I do," Leo agreed with a smirk. "So... will you answer my question now, Mage General? If not for the fear that holds you back, is this not what you want?"

Cecilia stared at him, expression now unreadable. Something new had mingled with the fear and the fascination and Leo couldn't tell what it was anymore. But it wasn't _more_ afraid. He could tell that much. 

He had made his power play, and she had allowed him to do it. All of the cards were on the table. Cecilia had been given ample opportunity to tell him, firmly and unambiguously, _no._ She hadn't. All that was left was to make Leo's victory official.

He leaned in and kissed her. 

 

Leo had never done this before. It was something that he was loathe to admit - he wasn't really characterized by 'girl troubles' per se, but it simply had never been an option for him, and when you're an adolescent dark mage sequestered away for your studies and the only consistent sexual fantasies you have revolve around your two _only-sortof-blood-related-if-even-that_ older sisters, well... Leo had not made this a priority for him to learn or prepare himself for, suffice to say. 

So, yes, he did this a little awkwardly. Their noses may have bumped on his way in, and he may have had to hastily correct his angle to account for it. He may have felt a sudden terrifying jolt of perspective and anxiety and backed away a little more prematurely than he'd meant to. Those were things that, most days, he'd look back on and curse himself for later.

But for now, he didn't have the time to be picky about his approach. Hesitation was fear, and fear was childish. He couldn't allow any of that. He kissed once, hesitantly, but when he broke his lips away it was only for long enough to take a quick breath and dive back in, cupping her cheek and guiding her into it. Cecilia gasped; he heard a clatter and the sharp ruffling of paper, followed by a feeble grip on his robes. He touched his tongue to her lips, and with a whimper they parted, allowing him to draw her own tongue into the open and caress it in the scant open air between their lips. 

For a time, they kissed - if that's what this still was - in relative contentment. Cecilia shrunk a little further down, and Leo lowered his hand from the bookshelf to her side. Something about just the shape of her body in his grasp... she felt so soft and delicate beneath the thin fabric of her robe. It was impossible not to imagine the shape and the color of that skin were it bare, how it might feel in his hands... Would she stop him, if he wanted to? 

He bunched up her robe in his hand until he could find its hem, and slipped under it; there was an undershirt in his way but he impatiently burrowed under that, too, until his hand found her bare skin. He felt her shiver at the touch, one of her hands darting to his wrist - for a moment he made to pull away, startled, but she wasn't pushing him back at all, she was holding him there. So, she wanted that? Good, then - he slid his hand up, tracing along the curves beside her stomach, then up to her bra; Cecilia tensed, but didn't shy away, still holding his arm in place. 

But she did turn her head away all of a sudden, gasping sharply for breath, her chest heaving against his. Her emerald hair tumbled from her shoulder, exposing her neck; Leo shifted his attention there instead, pressing his lips and teeth into straining tendons - she gasped again louder, one of her hands grabbing desperately at his robes for purchase while the other grabbed backwards at the bookshelf. The effect he was having on her was very clear, and... intoxicating. Every reaction goaded him into seeking something greater than before. He wrapped his hand around her clothed breast, feeling its weight and size before closing his fingers around it firmly - Cecilia squeaked - then he peeled her bra up and palmed her breast bare, pressing her nipple with his thumb and tweaking it - Cecilia whimpered, shifting her legs suddenly and pressing backwards against the bookshelf - 

All at once the shelf tipped backwards ominously; they both jumped upright, startled, managing to lift their weight from it in time to avoid a catastrophe. But Leo wasted no time once it was safe; he pulled Cecilia close again, one hand working its way under her tights and gripping her bottom, while he pulled up her undershirt and robe and kissed around her breast; Cecilia stumbled back, tripping against the table and sitting down on it somewhat abruptly; Leo had to disengage a little as she shifted, and that gave him a chance to take in her condition. 

Bracing backwards against the table, breathing heavily, a sweat on her brow and her cheeks burning bright, the hair around her shoulders starting to tangle. Leo had roughly forced her robe apart from her front, and her remaining coverings were perched around her collar, leaving her ample breasts bare; her tights were disheveled, too, already pushed partway down her thighs. Cecilia herself was still staring at Leo, eyes wide but also dazed. She didn't speak. Leo rather liked it that way - for the moment, actions would do just fine in place of words, and as he watched her and she neither beckoned nor withdrew, her hesitation said to him: _Do you want to keep going...?_

Eager heat pulsed in Leo. Yes, he did. And yet, at the same time, as he considered what would come next he faltered. He had never done this before, and even aside from that, Cecilia had not given _direct_ consent yet, she'd just... allowed him to do what he wanted. If he was reading her incorrectly, if he forced something on her she didn't want or even wasn't sure about - gods, his skin crawled just imagining it. But it was a simple fix; he just had to clarify that she was willing, right? 

"Can you - " He already hated the way he had phrased this. But nothing else came to him. "C-Can you undress me?" he managed, witholding a grimace. Cecilia's eyes widened a little, but without hesitation she scooted forward on the table, pulling his robes open and yanking up his dress shirt; she leaned into his chest, pressing warm, wet lips into his skin. She drew a few shudders from Leo this way before reaching down to his pants next, fumbling a little with the belt - but ultimately relieving him of them and shoving them down his thighs impatiently, revealing him. 

They both seemed to pause, as though the gravity of what she had done hit them at the same time; Leo's breath left him all at once, and he just stood in shock, staring down at her - but Cecilia meanwhile stared at Leo's length with a surprised, vaguely frightened expression of her own. He thought to ask her if she was sure again - as much for his sake as hers - but she answered that for him regardless, shaking her head and taking a deep breath, then leaning forward and kissing his tip gently but firmly. He felt her fingers wrap around his base - soft, softer than he could have ever dreamed, enough to force a shiver through him again - she slowly pumped her hand along it a few times, as though testing him, but he didn't need much teasing to be short of breath all over again. 

This time, Leo thought to let her do what she wanted, as overwhelming as her hesitation was. At first she moved only slowly and delicately, perhaps afraid that her heavenly touch would somehow hurt or scare him? But after a moment more of indecision, she settled her grip more firmly on his base and shifted off the desk entirely and onto the floor, bringing him up to her lips and kissing him firmly again, then wrapping her lips around the tip, then a bit more - 

The sensation shot through him like lightning. He could feel her tongue dragging along his sensitive underside, the way her mouth closed down around his length as if trapping it - but more than that the heat and the dampness were somehow electrifying; he had to restrain himself from shoving his hips forward to sheathe himself in her, but every instinct in his body was screaming that that was where his sex belonged - lodged as firmly into her as could fit. Cecilia, for her part, slid herself back and forth on him with a somewhat placid expression, as though doing this was comforting to her. Ceding control to her seemed to have been a very good idea, all things considered. 

Just as his knees were beginning to shake she let him out of her, her tongue briefly still resting under his tip as though hesitant to let go. She gave him a few more strokes, firmer and more sure this time - with the slickness left over from her mouth her fingers glided over him easily - then she pushed herself up and back onto the table, taking a deep breath and peeling her panties away. Leo stared at her as she laid back and spread her legs, watching him with a nervous, expectant expression. "Go ahead," she mouthed. 

Well. He supposed it wouldn't get much clearer than that. 

He stepped up to the table's edge, wrapping his hands under her thighs and pulling her up to him to match - Cecilia reached down for him, guiding his tip to her lower lips; already at first touch Leo felt that tantalizing warmth again, and tried to make his sudden thrust feel less impatient than it felt. Either way, though, he pierced her all at once, and his hands jerked back and pulled her crotch onto his - bottoming out instantly. Cecilia yelped and her back arched, her free hand clapping over her lips; Leo could see her chest shaking as she tried to breathe. As was becoming the standard, just as he made to ask if she was okay - she rolled her hips at him and whimpered. 

So, he pulled his hips back and relaxed his grip a little - then jabbed forward and tightened; Cecilia's body rocked with a second impact, and this time she releaased a full-throated moan. There was no ambiguity here anymore, and good thing because Leo found it very hard to restrain himself at all anymore. Almost beyond his own control he repeated this movement, again and again, with an almost mechanical frequency; his focus began to waver, awash in the hypnotic blend of their harsh, pleasured gasps, Cecilia's occasional moans, and the rhythmic slap of skin against skin. 

She writhed underneath him, her hands unable to settle, sometimes covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle her voice, sometimes gripping her own breast or wrapping tightly across her stomach, sometimes scrabbling for purchase against the table, sometimes shakily circling her clit and whimpering with desire... at all times, each impact shook Cecilia's whole body, bouncing her breasts, forcing her stomach to buckle and re-tighten, her legs arching helplessly in his hands. It was unlike any sight Leo had ever seen. Beautiful. Empowering. Their eyes met, and through sweat and heat he smiled. She was too overwhelmed to smile back, so she whimpered out his name, instead. 

He had to bend over her before long, propping himself up with his hands on either side of her - not just tired, but overwhelmed; it was getting hard to control himself at all now, his movements erratic and jagged, faint wisps of moans escaping him as he gasped for breath - it was rushing through him, he felt it coming all of a sudden, but he couldn't risk it, as heavenly as it sounded to finish just like this... he managed to straighten himself up and stagger back, pulling out of her - Cecilia whined loudly, and her hand flew between her legs just as Leo's wrapped around himself. 

For a moment - a beautiful, tense, awkward, breathless moment - Leo stroked himself furiously, watching as Cecilia dug deep into her own sex and jilled herself in desperation, each of them quivering on the verge of release. Leo felt a laugh building deep in his chest. 

She finished first, crying out in ecstasy and arching her back; in the same breath Leo gasped loudly and came - streaking between her legs and up her stomach. Then they slumped, Cecilia going limp with her hand flopped obscenely over her crotch, and Leo catching himself on the table, and he couldn't stop himself from giggling, and then laughing out loud - and to his relief and delight Cecilia even joined him in shy but fitful giggles of her own. 

"I'm sorry," Leo giggled, "I'm sorry, it's just..." 

"No!" Cecilia gasped. "No, it's good... it's good to laugh. Oh..." She sighed deeply, closing her eyes. "Oh, what have you done to me...?"

"Nothing that you wouldn't want, I hope," Leo offered, drawing another short laugh from her. "Am I wrong?"

"No," she murmured. "I suppose you aren't." Leo reached down and gathered her up; she peeled herself away from the table and sat upright, looping her arms around his shoulders as he held her by the waist. The smile was fading from her gaze; she looked... serious, stern even, fixing her eyes on his, and with the remains of his own smirk he watched her back, attentive. Had she always been this beautiful? 

"So, then," she said quietly. "I will be honest with you, Leo. You have opened Pandora's box. If you hoped to limit this to once, or are having second thoughts..." 

"I'm not," Leo said, swiftly and firmly. "I am not afraid, Cecilia. I found our connection the night we met to be beautiful, and what we just shared now even moreso. I'll pursue it, and I will defend it." 

"How..." Her lips twitched, and her eyes softened. She took a shivering breath, and shook her head, as though in wonder. "How... unbearably... noble, Leo." 

"I understand that certain precautions may be necessary," Leo added lowly. "But I'm prepared for that." 

"Good." She sighed. "Then... how shall we go about this?"


End file.
